The present invention relates to a stacker apparatus that is cleanable, for use with a food slicing machine, such as a meat slicer or slicing station. The stacker of the present invention includes an upstream drive sprocket sleeve with a plurality of sprocket members, and a downstream unitary pulley sleeve with an equal number of integral pulley members that are aligned with the sprocket members so as to provide a plurality of spaced apart pulley-sprocket pairs. Each pulley-sprocket pair supports and engages a transport chains, such that the transport chains move synchronously to transport a slice of food thereon. Due to this simple construction, the stacker is very easy to clean and sanitize, so as to prevent food-born illness during subsequent uses of the stacker.
Food slicing machines are well known in the art and can be found in meat processors, sandwich shops, delis and grocery stores. Such slicing machines are often used to slice cheese and meats into individual slices of a predetermined thicknesses. As is known in the art, such slicing machines generally include a motorized slicing blade that receives and cuts the food, an input structure for supporting and feeding the food into the blade, a thickness control mechanism for determining the thickness of the food slices, and a discharge mechanism for expelling the food slices from the slicer.
In hi-throughput settings, such as a meat processing setting, the food slicer may be functionally engaged with or coupled to a food slice stacking device, so that food slices expelled from the slicer are received by the stacker and then transferred to a stacking station, where the slices can be stacked into a food slice stack. Such coupled slicers and stackers are often automated and synchronized, so that the coupled slicer and stacker cut and stack a pre-determined number of food slice stacks, wherein each stack includes a pre-determined number of food slices of a defined thickness.
Prior art stackers include a frame supporting several adjacent and vertically aligned downstream spring-loaded pulleys and an equal number of adjacent and vertically aligned upstream sprockets. Each spring-loaded pulley includes an individual pulley engaged with tensioning springs located withing an adjacent stainless steel housing. Each of the spring-loaded pulleys is horizontally aligned with one of the sprockets, thereby providing several pulley-sprocket pairs. Each pulley-sprocket pair supports and engages an endless transport loop, such as a chain loop, that includes a plurality of food slice-receiving members, such as sharpened prongs, hooks or teeth. The sprockets rotate so that the engaged transport loops move across the front of the stacker, from an upstream end, which includes the sprockets, toward a downstream end, which includes the pulleys. Thus, a food slice pressed onto the front of the stacker is transported or conveyed in a downstream direction to a stacking station, where a transfer fork detaches the slice from the engaged slice-receiving members and then transfers it to a stacking surface, such as a scale or a conveyor belt.
To wash and sanitize the stacker, the spring-loaded pulleys and chains must be completely disassembled. After washing, the stacker parts must be reassembled. Disassembling and reassembling the stacker is time consuming and difficult, due to the large number of complex parts. Due to this time consumption and difficulty, users tend to avoid disassembling and reassembling the stacker, and instead wash the assembled stacker. Unfortunately, this practice leads to food particles remaining in the pulleys after cleaning. As is well known in the art, food particles remaining on such food handling equipment can lead to food-born illness. Consequently, the prior art stacker is unsuitable for use with food.